The prostate is a gland composed of an outer muscular shell surrounding tissue. The prostate starts out being the size of a pea at the birth of a male. At puberty, there is substantial growth in the prostate. The prostate is fully grown and is the size of a walnut by the time a man reaches the age of thirty. Sometime between the time a man reaches forty or fifty years of age, the prostate can start to enlarge in size.
The prostate grows larger in response to the male hormone testosterone. The tissue of the prostate can enlarge until said tissue constricts the urethra, the tube through which urine empties from the bladder. This can lead to weak flow, infections, incomplete emptying of the bladder and to kidney and bladder damage.
The prostate gland is located below a man's urinary bladder. The prostate gland is connected by the urethra, which is a tube that starts at the urinary bladder and goes through the middle of the prostate gland and carries urine out through the penis. As some men grow older, the prostate tissue surrounding the urethra grows in size and constricts the flow of urine from the urinary bladder to the penis. This can cause a man extreme pain and discomfort.
Surgery is one method of attempting to correct the problem. Surgery involves the removal of some of the enlarged tissue from the prostate. Many men prefer to forego surgery and thus elect to endure the pain. There have been some recent claims that experimental drugs appear to be an effective alternative to surgery; many men are reluctant to experiment with said drugs.
This invention relates to an improved device where the shape provides the means of temporarily reducing the size of the prostate gland. The effectiveness and efficiency of the treatment of the prostate gland is thereby improved. The device is also capable of being reused.
Stoy in U.S. Pat. No. 4,563,182 and Rand in U.S. Pat. No. 4,841,970 suggest rectal inserts which may be suitable for the treatment of hemorrhoids, but the shapes are not as well suited for the treatment of an enlarged prostate as the present invention.